1900–05; pseudo-Latin trivia (neuter plural), taken as the base of trivial
First recorded in 1700–10; from Latin, feminine of trivius (adj.), derivative of trivium “place where three roads meet,” equivalent to tri- tri- + -vium, derivative of via “way, road”
Can you name the twenty-third vice-president? Do you know all the state birds? If so, you must be good at trivia: facts that are interesting but not necessarily important. Everybody probably knows trivia about something they enjoy. Baseball fans can quote batting averages of their favorite players; movie nuts can tell you exactly what films their favorite actors appeared in and who they played. The game "Trivial Pursuit" is full of questions about facts like that. Why would anyone bother with trivia? Usually, because they love the topic, or maybe they need to know it for their job. One person's trivia is another person's important information.
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Trivia companies have capitalized by hosting contests, giving superfans an excuse to indulge their obsession.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
Trivia themes range from TV and sports to pop culture, music, current events and history.
From Salon • Aug. 26, 2023
Trivia: De Armas is the first Cuban woman to be nominated for best actress.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 9, 2023
Trivia, the coin of the realm in pop culture writing, is spilled here in abundance.
From New York Times • Dec. 6, 2022
Or what my father thought about a Trivia Contest on the New York Yankees that didn’t have a single question about the Babe?
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
